Caprice Dry Red is a wine produced from Monastrell Black Grapes. The wine gets its dark color from the long fermentation of the grapes skin until their sugar content has been converted into alcohol.
Caprice Dry Red pairs well with all types of meat, including game meat. It can also be served with cheese.
In the vineyard :The grapes used for this wine comes from 20 – 30 year old bushvines planted high up in the Bottelary Hills. Soil types vary from decomposed granite to more sandy soils. The Muscat vineyards used in this wine are almost 50 years old and boasts with concentration and falvour. About the harvest: Grapes are picked at optimum ripeness around 22° Balling.
In the cellar: The juice was allowed some skin contact with the grapes. The juice always partially goes through a native yeast fermentation, before it is inoculated with a special commercial yeast Vin2000 producing rich ripe flavours in the wine.
The Muscat is picked as Noble Late Harvest when the grapes have picked up Botrytis and fermented to a residual sugar of about 140g/L. This is the element that sweetens the wine and make it so floral. It is fermented cold in stainless steel tanks over a period of 2 to 3 weeks at between 11 – 15° C and left on its primary fermentation leese for at least 3 months before refinement and bottling.
Each component of this Bordeaux blend has its own distinctive flavour, yet together they create a harmony of cedar, berries, dark chocolate, fennel and oak. An elegant delight.
Paardeberg. This Rose has a delightful and delicate, salmon pink colour. It displays a bright bouquet of Turkish delight, raspberry coulis, passion fruit and litchi. The palate is well rounded but refreshingly vibrant, packed with red berry flavours, seductive floral undertones and a pleasant citrus twist. Pair with spicy Thai prawns, grilled Portuguese sardines or a fresh tomato, feta and pomegranate salad.
The grapes used to make this wine come from two adjacent old vineyards planted in 1981 and 1984 respectively. For obvious reasons the one vineyard is simply called the Spice Block and the other the Long Block. Yields are rarely above 7t/ha and therefore naturally produce wines of structure and superior concentration. Our soils consist primarily of deep, well-weathered granite with moderate amounts of clay and iron. Such soils elevate the aromatics and promote finesse in the wine.
This unwooded, off-dry Chenin Blanc has a soft green appearance. Fresh, fruity and soft drinking wine with a tropical bouquet that will be a superb aperitif, yet enough characteristics to accompany a variety of dishes.
The line of wines “Top Five” (“Top 5”) is devoted to the true beauty of the five most dangerous animals on the African continent. All five wines of the line offer a truly unique experience to experienced wine lovers. “Top Five” Chenin Blanc symbolizes the African rhino. Grapes for making wine are grown in the Western Cape in the vineyards of the economy “Devon View”. Harvested by hand in late February, in the cool morning hours. Fermentation and aging of wine are held in stainless steel tanks with an open top. “Top Five” Chenin Blanc is recommended to be served well chilled and decant 15-30 minutes before serving.
In the vineyard : The winter preceding the 2015 vintage was characterized by maximum hours in the optimal range. Bud break was 10 days early. Spring to November was warm on average, but the entire growing season and most of harvest experienced cool evenings. This was fantastic for both flavour development as well as synthesis of phenols, like tannin and colour, which accompanied bright fruit and perfect acidity in the final result. December had warm days and unusually cool evenings, but it was also very dry with the Cape forgoing the usual December and January rains. The moisture constraint in the root zone activated hormonal responses in the vines that sped up ripening even further while ensuring great concentration. Cool evenings meant the vines recovered from the heat of the day and delicate aromatics were preserved. The surprise harvest saw everyone stretched to the limit. Nonetheless, care was taken with each parcel of fruit and the KWV team met the challenge with aplomb.
In the vineyard :Our vineyard team, led by Heinie Nel, understands that our terroir is intricately linked to the quality of our wine and its sustainable management lies at the core of our vineyard management practices.
Our vineyards mainly consist of un-irrigated bush vines and are from Wine of Origin Paarl. Due to various micro climates, the characteristics of the wines are very dimensional and develop concentrated fruit flavours. The accolades of the past decade are testament to the quality of our winemaking.About the harvest: The grapes are handpicked and delivered to the cellar early in the morning.
In the cellar : The grapes are gently crushed whilst using inert gas to prevent oxidation of the juice. White wine grapes are pressed; the juice is separated from the pulp and fermentation follows at 12-14˚C in stainless steel tanks. Lees contact and maturation occurs in stainless steel tanks only. After the primary fermentation of red grapes, the free run wine is pumped off into tanks and the skins are pressed to extract the remaining juice and wine. The pressed wine is blended with the free run wine at the winemaker’s discretion. The wine is kept warm and the remaining sugars are converted into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Maturation of up to 18 months, follows in stainless steel tanks with oak staves.
Black Bird Natural Sweet White is a meticulously crafted wine that contains velvety soft tannins with dominant blackberry flavors and a fruity aftertaste.
Powerful exotic fruit flavours with dominant pineapple, passion fruit and traces of melon in the aftertaste.
About the harvest:The selection process for this special cuvé already started with the identification of the specific vineyards and working at it with special care from pruning right through to harvesting ensuring a low yield (approximately 5 tons per hectare) and premium quality. The grapes were picked at optimum ripeness approximately 27° Balling (Brix).
In the cellar :After de-stemming and slight crushing the mash was taken to open fermentation tanks where traditional wine making methods are still implemented. During fermentation the temperature was regulated between 25° – 28° C and the cap regularly wetted by the traditional method of pushing the skins down into the must manually every two hours. This together with pumping-over of the must onto the skins allows the colour and flavour to be extracted very effectively. It took five days to ferment dry and was then left on the skins for another day before racking and pressing. After malolactic fermentation started the wine was transferred to new 300 liter French oak barrels where it was left to mature for eighteen months. 3% Viognier of the 2011 vintage was blended in just before bottling.
This Rosé goes brilliantly with all sorts of food. Its ample body and wonderful aroma make it a notable and exciting combination. It’s fantastic with sushi, but also try it with Camembert and Brie, Paella or Grilled chicken.
In the cellar: The grapes were harvested at a sugar level of 22 degree balling, destemmed, crushed and immediately drained at the press. The free run and press juice was kept separately and cold fermented. After fermentation the free run and press juice was fined and blended together.
In the vineyard :This wine is made from 100% Grenache from Tokara’s Walker Bay Vineyard, Siberia in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley
About the harvest:The vineyards cropped at around 14 t/ha. The grapes were picked at optimal ripeness with sugars of 21 degrees brix and acidity of 6 g/l.
In the cellar :The grapes were de-stemmed and crushed to stainless steel tanks for maceration overnight. The grapes were then drained and pressed to tank for settling. The juice was then inoculated and fermented cool. The wine was bottled soon after the fermentation was complete.